Venonis

Venonis stands where Watling Street and Fosse Way cross near the modern village of High Cross in Leicestershire. The Romans built a small fort and a settlement here, marking a key junction in their road network. Excavations show wooden buildings and artefacts dating from the Flavian period to the late 4th century. Coins from Valentinian I’s reign were found among the remains. The site’s name appears only in the Antonine Itinerary, a Roman road guide. The fort lies about 1.2 kilometres north-west of the settlement at a place called Wigston Parva. Aerial photographs by J. K. St. Joseph revealed its outline, later confirmed by excavations in 1969–70. The fort covered roughly 8,000 square metres and was surrounded by a ditch. When Watling Street was later realigned, it cut through the fort’s defences. Visitors today see open farmland where the roads once met. No buildings remain above ground, but the landscape still follows the old routes. The crossing point itself is marked by a modern road junction near High Cross. A short walk north-west brings you close to the fort’s former position at Wigston Parva. The site offers a quiet reminder of Roman Britain’s organised travel system.